Edward



rrnn TATES PATENT Cur-Ion.

EDWARD A. LBOBERTS, on rirusvinnn, PENNSYLVANIA.

- llllPRGl/EMENT- l-N 'l'FliA'l'lNG EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS TO RENDER THEMSAFE FOR BLASTlliG lllll) OTHER PURPOSES.

Specification forming of Letters Patent K001335192, dated May 20, 1873 application filed" May 7; 1873.

To all whom itmayr concern:

Be it; known thatlt EDWARD A. L. ROBERTS,

of Titusville, in: the county of Crawford, State of Pennsylvania, have made' a new and useful Improvement in Treating Explosive Compounds to impart safety thereto for blasting and other purposes; and I hereby declare the following to-be afull and exact description of the same.

There are two principal classes of explpsive compounds one igniting on a tiplicatiln oi heat or a'spark, such as gunpowder, the ther upon the sudden: agitation of its particles, as

bya blow, such as fulminatin'g-gold, i'ulminat,

troduced require much heat to volatilizethem and absorb heat in their volatilizatio'n they, in consequence,,protect the 0th erwisedangerousexplosives, and render 'it a matter. of (lit; ficnlty' to explode them, whereas, under ordi nary circumstances, these-compounds explode most easily by friction or percussiomthey will not: do so when prepared andtreated: in the manner and after the mode-hereinspecified? in accordance with my' invention. In making :one of these preparations,-I grind the following ingredients to fine powder, each separately, and then well mix one part of ferrocyanide of potassium and one part of lump-sugar; then take two-parts of chlorateof potash andgri'nd this separately to fine powder; then add from tifteen to twentyfive per cent. of. water, or thereabout, andwell mix the water with the chlorateof-potasli powder, so as to make a thin paste, which pasteis tobewell incorporated withthe mixture of ferrocyanide ofpotassium and sugar, I

so as to form a homogeneous mixture or paste. In this manner all risk of danger isrendered readilyand certainly fired by cyanides, fcrrocyanides,

most remote, and large quantities'of such-hitherto dangerous materials maybe manipulated withthe greatestsufety. com pared withliquidl 'niti'lo-glycerine,yit will represen t, bulki'orbulk,

:nearlyas much it not more gaseous. volumer itro-glycerine is notoriously uncertain and dangerous, easily exploded on percussion or even one agitation but this improved mixturecan. hardly be exploded by ordinary percus- SlOlluOIffIlGillOll, oreven by firing'a bullet into. it, or by striking it with the heaviest blow with a'sledge-hammer'on ananvil; yet it can be I detonating a small quantity ofthe' mixed materials in a "drycondition. on thetop of a wet cartridge of the powders, or by-usinga small case ot" the dry powder as a: detonatingcharge. Nitroglycerine or other ful ninatesi may beused I'll! placeot' the dry powder for a Sillllllfll" purpose.

(pounds; treated according to my; invention, especially those mixed or. combined with" These improved explosive com,-

water, are rendered so completely harmless that they may be storedfor any length ot time a without any decomposition occurring that; would give rise to dangerousresults. in this a manner, and accordin g ,to the way above specifieil, I can deal witlt nany mixture-swell known as ot'a iulininatin'g anddangerous character, such as carbozotatesuvhite gunpowder,

mixtures of chlorate of. potash, chloratcs, perchlorates, or nitrates with sulphur, I

ferricyanides, and suitable compoundsof carbon or carbon itself, and mixtures of' sulphur and itscompounds, with chlorate 0t potash, and render theinnot onlysai'e to handle, but comparatively harmlessnntil placed in'the precise circumstances needed. for thei'rexplosion. I also thusrender them more safe for stowage. In consequence of these mixtures being semi-fluid, they easily fill the shell'cases or cartridges ofiwhat,

; ever form in which they are placed, andtren'der them, when sealed, capable of resisting any uniform pressure from without,as whenthey' are lowered to a considerable depth below the surfaces of water, H g

Having; thus described my invention, what Idaho, and desire Ito-secure by letters Patent of the Unitcdbtatesfissulphides,

v 1. "The process herein described for treating explosive compounds and composition, the same consisting in combining with them water or 0ther1iq'uid,'or with a hygrometric'salt, so as toform a paste,ias and for thepurposespecified.

2 The method described-for exploding moist I or wet compounds, such as described, by igniting near them'or in contact a fulminating or detonatingmaterial, as described.

3. The combination, in the same charge, of moist or wet compounds, such as described,-';

with dry powder, capable of being exploded by a sparkor with a percdssiqmpowder, as set forth.

4. The explosive compounds herein described, made bycombining dry powders with water or other liquid, so as to render them safe in handling and in use, as described.

EDWARD A. L. ROBERTS. Witnesses:

THOMAS C. CONNOLLY, HERB? H. BURT-0N. 

